• Yasuhisa Tanaka, Shoichi Kokubun, Tetsuro Sato, and Hiroshi Ozawa.
• Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan. yasst@mail.tains.tohoku.ac.jp
• Spine. 2006 Aug 1;31(17):E568-73.

Study DesignA prospective observational study.ObjectivesTo determine whether the pain in the neck or scapular regions in patients with cervical radiculopathy originates from the compressed root and whether the site of pain is useful for diagnosing the level.Summary Of Background DataThe pain has been thought to be caused not by root compression but by instability caused by disc degeneration or zygapophysial joint osteoarthritis because it usually precedes radicular symptoms in the arm/fingers.MethodsThe subjects were 50 consecutive patients with pain as well as arm/finger symptoms, who underwent single-root decompression alone. The involved roots were C5 in 9 patients, C6 in 14, C7 in 14, and C8 in 13.ResultsThe pain preceded the arm/fingers symptoms in 35 patients (70%). Although the pain had lasted for more than 7 months on average before surgery, it was relieved early after surgery in 46 patients (92%). When the painful site was suprascapular, C5 or C6 radiculopathy was frequent (P < 0.01). When it was interscapular, C7 or C8 radiculopathy was frequent (P < 0.001). When it was scapular, C8 radiculopathy was frequent (P < 0.01).ConclusionsPain in the suprascapular, interscapular, or scapular regions can originate directly in the compressed root. The site of the pain is valuable for determining localization of the involved root.

29 keywords...

hide…